On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 09:59:09 -0500, "Ellen MacArthur"
wrote:


"Goofball_star_dot_etal" wrote
The problem I had was that windows XP would not let me rename or save
the file hosts. This can be locked by various programs that I have
such a Spybot. In my case I had to unistall ZoneAlarm to get at the
file.

Hosts stays there and is loaded at boot. There is a utility on the
page I gave that can swap between a hosts file that blocks ads and the
standard one that does not.
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hostsfaq.htm#Rename

Sam Spade gives the DNS of http://cv.sysip.net as 64.127.103.40 if
you want to block it another way.

Thanks much. That link is kewl. Just switch between hosts files.
I tried to look in the batch file with notepad but the only option I got was to open it and I didn't
want to open it because then it would do its thing and install the very large hosts file. But, it wouldn't
surprise me if the batch file takes care of any other program locking the hosts file.
I bet I could write my own hosts file and put it into the files from the unzipped folder
after I removed their great big hosts file to the desktop for a minute and then let the batch
file install my custom hosts file....

Cheers,
Ellen

If you open notepad and open RenHosts.bat from there you can look
without it running. Save a copy of the windows minimal hosts file
somewhere safe first and you can't go very far wrong.

Spybot Search and Destroy can add (and remove) its own list of hosts
to be avoided, (advanced?) toolstake a look at your host listadd
spybot s&d hosts list. I read that it can lock access to hosts which
seems like a good idea but I have not found that option yet.